Page 16 of Rancher to the Rescue

She shook her head.

“I’ve been talking to you for…” He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost midnight. “Three hours now and you haven’t slipped once. You know your name. You know what day it is. Your mind is sharp.”

“I thought the same thing in the shower,” she admitted on a heavy sigh. “It’s weird, isn’t it.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

“Waking up,” she said. “The next part isn’t so clear, but it involves Henry.”

That was three days ago. “And you have no memories since then?”

“That’s right,” she said.

“No one stopped by to see him and you didn’t go anywhere else?” he asked.

“Not that I remember,” she admitted with a shrug. “Frustrating, isn’t it.”

“It’s a puzzle for me. I can only imagine what a terrible feeling it must be for you,” he said. There had to be something…an event? His mind snapped to her being on a date and someone slipping something inside her drink.

Her mind was sharp now. She seemed to be firing on all cylinders.

“We’ll get to the bottom of what’s going on,” he said as he headed toward the hallway.

“I’m not sure if I thanked you nearly enough, Adam.” The sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks. The mix of gratitude tinted with fear the memory lapse could strike at any time strengthened his resolve.

“No need. It’s what we do here. We take care of our own,” he said and meant it. Ranchers were known for having each other’s backs. He couldn’t exactly speak for folks in town, but that spirit was very much alive and well when it came to his community.

“I appreciate it anyway. You didn’t have to stick up for me with Lawler or volunteer to let me and Angel stay here overnight. It means a lot that you would put yourself out for me, for her,” she said. Her voice cracked on the last part and he wondered if her emotions were getting the best of her. He couldn’t imagine how awful it would be to lose three days of his life, just like that with no warning.

She didn’t appear sick or hurt. She was too young for dementia. It just didn’t add up.

“You’re welcome, Prudence,” he said. “This all must be crazy for you. My guess is that you acted quickly to save that little girl’s life. You saw the piece of paper, my name, and were bringing her here to the ranch when something else happened. I can only imagine why you would be on that part of the land, but every possibility causes my hands to fist and anger to well up. Helping you fill in the details is the least I can do.”

“Is that really what you think?” She was reaching for hope. He could hear it in her voice. She needed a reason not to be scared to go to sleep or wake up in the morning.

“I wouldn’t say so if it wasn’t true. Hand to God,” he said.

She sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. “So, we’ll figure it out together?”

“You have my word,” he said.

His answer seemed to satisfy her. At least for the time being. She seemed nervous about turning in.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Fifteen tops.” He figured he could make it to the opposite wing and scrub down in roughly that amount of time.

“Then, I’ll wait up for you,” she offered, fiddling with the belt on her robe. Nervous habit?

He glanced at the bed. It hadn’t occurred to him they’d be sleeping in the same room. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. She would probably want the company and she seemed more than a little afraid to wake up, like sleeping might somehow erase her memories again.

The way she looked at him right then would haunt him if that happened. He tried not to let that dominate his thoughts as he cut across the house to the other wing.

6

Prudence exhaled the minute Adam returned. It felt like she’d been holding her breath for the past seventeen minutes. Impossible, she knew. But that was what it felt like when her lifeline walked out of the room.

Until she figured out what was happening with her memory, she planned to stick to him like red on velvet. She hoped the move wouldn’t be too annoying or last too long. Then again, being with Adam wasn’t the hard part. Missing entire days from her life was scary.

What else had she done or seen that she was possibly suppressing? Was there some trauma behind her current situation with Angel? It made sense there would be. Then there was Prudence’s anxiety. Normally, it was through the roof in unknown situations and places. Sleeping over at a stranger’s house should have her clamoring for the front door. Instead, she felt like she’d come home. Though that feeling was dependent on Adam being in the room. Was she attached to him because he’d been her savior today? A knight in shining armor, so to speak. Except said knight was one gorgeous, honorable, and strong cowboy?